TRAFFIC was not as bad as expected when private schools started classes on Monday, according to Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) consultant Edgardo Uy.
Uy, the chief of Task Force Hapsay Dalan, said the RTA only had to make minor adjustments in assigning more traffic enforcers in areas near big schools and universities.
Roving teams were also directed to deal with minor traffic accidents to avoid congestion, he said.
From June 1 to 6, the first week of classes in public schools, the RTA recorded 84 vehicular accidents, and 127 from June 7 to 14.
There were no casualties, only minor injuries, in the accidents. Six more minor accidents were recorded Tuesday.
rIn highly populated schools like the City Central School (CCS) on Velez Street, drivers bringing students to school parked in the yellow box, preventing other vehicles from loading or unloading passengers, Uy said.
Motorcycles, meanwhile, parked on sidewalks and pedestrian lanes near the school.
Uy said he will talk with the CCS administration to let private vehicles enter the school campus to drop off the students to prevent traffic buildup on Velez Street.
RTA chief of operations Lito Deloso reminded pedestrians to cross only at designated pedestrian lanes and overpasses especially near schools.
“The schools’ faculty are usually the ones who do not use the designated lanes,” Deloso said, adding that teachers should be role models for students.
Jun Bayeta, a college freshman at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST), said pedestrians cross wherever they choose, adding to traffic congestion.
"We forget that we (pedestrians) have a role in achieving a smooth traffic flow in the city,” Bayeta said. WITH PJ ORIAS